Eating Habits and Lifestyle Profile of an Italian Aging Cohort

NCT ID: NCT04401930

Last Updated: 2021-06-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 600 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-11-01
• Study Completion Date: 2021-03-31

Brief Summary

Aging is characterized by low-grade inflammatory state, supported by impairment oxidative balance and endocrine changes, leading to changes in: body composition, such as decrease in lean body mass and increase in adipose tissue; resting metabolic rate; immune function; cognitive impairment. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics all subjects over the age of 60 should be able to access to adequate nutrition and appropriate nutritional services.

In order to ensure healthy aging and to reduce effects of specific diseases, recommendations are needed for illness and disability in this population, as well as adequate physical activity and specific support programs, culturally accepted.

The aim of this study is to evaluate eating habits in term of food consumption, health state and lifestyle in a sample of free-living elderly over the age of 65, living in Milan and surroundings.

In particular, profiling of the elderly population is performed using a survey in which information are collected on methods, contexts, time and ability to buy, prepare, consume and dispose of and recycle food. Eating habits and knowledge about food are detected through the analysis of food consumption frequencies, and lifestyle by assessing the level of physical activity, quality of sleep, smoking habit. Weight status and health status are evaluated through anthropometric measurements, body composition (bioelectrical impedance) and strength test.

Other information relating to social participation and other socio-demographic variables (age, gender, family composition, socio-economic status) are collected to have a completed profiling of target population.

Achieved results will help us to identify factors on which acting to ensure healthy aging and counteract inflammaging, the chronic low-grade systemic inflammation characteristic in the aging process.

Moreover, the study allows increasing the knowledge related to the needs and requirements of the target population to determine a good food policy and to increase the elderly empowerment.

Detailed Description

The study concerns the elderly population of the Milan Metropolitan Area. The aim is to identify and interpret the nutritional needs of the target population and thus implement the quality of life and the nutritional status of citizens through the evaluation of the dietary habits, health status and lifestyle of the elderly free-living.

The information is collected through a questionnaire consisting of 6 sections and includes batteries of questions and scales already validated in the literature: i) access to the points of sale; ii) consumer behavior; iii) eating habits; iv) opinions regarding accessibility; v) state of health, physical activity and sleep quality; vi) other socio-demographic information. The collected data will allow to identify different profiles of elderly people with respect to the investigated dimensions and to estimate the influence of different factors on eating habits and health status.

To complete the information collected with the questionnaire, functional and anthropmetric parameters are detected which are useful to complete the nutritional assessment of the target population. Specifically, the muscle strength, body composition, body weight, height, body circumferences, plicometry are measured, and the antripometric indices waist-height circumference ratio, waist-hip circumference ratio and arm muscle area are calculated.

SAMPLE SIZE: Based on the data on the population residing on 1 January 2017 from an Istat source, the residents of the metropolitan city of Milan aged 65 and over are 722703. The sample size was defined with the choice of a confidence level of 95% and of a confidence interval of 4%.

Conditions

Aging; Healthy Aging; Life Style; Eating Habit; Nutritional Deficiency; Sarcopenia

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Free-living elderly

Free-living elderly over the age of 65 living in Metropolitan Area of Milan, in apparent good health conditions.

Male and Female

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age: over 65
• free-living
• autonomous, self sufficient
• acceptance and sign of informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Age: under 65
• living in: nursing home, Extended Care
• hospitalized
• non autonomous, non self sufficient
• without acceptance and sign of informed consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Milano Bicocca

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Pavia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Hellas Cena

Tenured researcher

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Hellas Cena

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pavia

Locations

University of Pavia

Pavia, Lombardy, Italy

Countries

Italy

Other Identifiers

CUP E47F17000020009

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

13052020

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id